5 Social Media Mistakes (Plus the Number One Mistake to Avoid)

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Navigating the world of social media marketing doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience. Knowing what to say, and when to say it, is probably the easiest way to summarize what your core strategy should be to generate real results, in terms of visibility as well as profitability.

But when talking about social media marketing, it's just as important to invest time into understanding what not to do when using social media for business.

In this post, we'll look are five of the biggest and most common social media mistakes - plus the number one mistake you should avoid at all costs.

Mistake #1: Not Doing Your Research

Digital marketing will only ever be truly beneficial for your brand if you understand the importance of timely and thorough research.

Research involves understanding who your audience is, in detail - that means outlining the key pain points of your target customers and how effectively your product helps them tackle these pain points. It also required a willingness to reassess and update strategies, and the product itself, in order to keep up with market trends.

Failure to do this research could see you wasting valuable time, resources, and money on social media marketing efforts that don’t generate results.

Mistake #2: Not Having a Plan

As a mother, you learn very quickly that planning ahead is the best way to manage your time more effectively and to stay on top of multiple commitments.

With social media marketing, there are also critical benefits to having a plan and putting it into action:

You're able to channel your efforts constructively towards achieving specific, defined goals, which means you're more likely to get results.

You're more effectively able to use time and resources when you have a plan that you have to stick to - and less likely to get distracted.

You're able to streamline your social media campaigns to ensure that you're making the necessary level of impact on your target audience.

You're able to measure your results, and tweak them as you go along. This will help you to manage future campaigns for increased profitability.

Bear in mind that planning is only one part of the process - taking consistent action is the key to getting consistent results.

Mistake #3: Clued-in vs. Clueless

Social media platforms can viral-ize anything you say, especially when it’s controversial. That can elevate you to instant fame, or hurl you into PR hell, in no time at all. Being politically correct can seem boring, but it beats being notorious or having a negatively polarizing brand.

When in doubt, apply common sense – avoid commenting or posting controversial topics. However, if you stay out of trending topics, it can also appear that you have no voice or little interest in current affairs, which can also bounce back on you.

Aim to show awareness of what’s going on in the world, but leverage the strength of influential topics by spinning them in a way which reflects positively on your brand.

Mistake #4: Not Having the Right Systems in Place

Ask yourself whether your social media channels have been set up in such a way that they support, rather than impede, traffic and/or lead generation.

Do you have sharing options across all your channels? Are you easy to find, connect, and engage within the places that are relevant to your brand? Are you using all the best marketing features that are available on social media channels to boost your online presence?

Mistake #5: Lack of Authenticity and Presence

Customers are media savvy and can see through a fake facade very quickly. Therefore, increasingly, people prefer to stick to brands which have a unique, individual voice - especially when it comes to the service industry where personal branding is everything.

In a competitive marketplace, authenticity also stands out as one of the most appealing traits.

And Finally, the Most Epic #1 Social Media Fail: Leaving It All to Al

The benefits of automation for marketing and time/costs savings is enormous, however automation should not replace the human element when it comes to marketing on social media.

Find ways to connect with your followers in a genuine, empathetic, human way, as often as you can. Building an authentic relationship with your audience goes a long way in ensuring that they will continue to enjoy your brand, recommend it to others, and stay loyal customers for a long time to come.